Chapter 239 Traitors in Chaotic Times (15) How to Become a Super Strategist...

Two days later, in the early morning, after having breakfast, Wu Gongyuan inquired about Song Ce's condition from Gao Chengfeng.

"General Gao, how is Magistrate Song's cold?"

Gao Chengfeng's heart tightened, and he quickly cupped his hands and replied, "Lord Wu, your condition has improved. I believe you will be fully recovered after another day or two of rest."

Wu Gongyuan nodded slightly, asked no further questions, and simply picked up the warm tea served by the servant and took a small sip.

Gao Chengfeng felt somewhat relieved, thinking the matter was over. Unexpectedly, Wu Gongyuan put down his teacup and suddenly changed the subject: "Since Magistrate Song has not yet fully recovered, it is only right and proper for me to visit him. There's nothing else to do here, General Gao, would you please lead the way?"

These words instantly caused a cold sweat to bead on Gao Chengfeng's forehead. He remained outwardly calm, forcing himself to speak in a deep voice, "Lord Wu's consideration for me is truly a blessing. However, this cold has come on so suddenly; I fear I might pass it on to you. Perhaps I should wait until you are feeling better before personally bowing and apologizing?"

Wu Gongyuan narrowed his eyes, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and said in a tone that revealed neither joy nor anger: "General Gao has repeatedly made excuses and obstructed me. Is there some hidden reason behind this?"

Gao Chengfeng paused, then bowed and said, "Lord Wu, you may not know this, but Lord Song's illness is not a common cold, but rather..."

"And what?"

"It's a highly contagious cold! In just three days, two servants in the county government have caught the illness and are currently recuperating carefully in the backyard!"

Wu Gongyuan was taken aback upon hearing this, clearly not expecting such a situation. He pondered for a moment, but ultimately dared not risk his old bones, and waved his hand, saying, "Since that's the case, then so be it. It won't be too late for me to come and deliver the decree after Magistrate Song has recovered."

"Yes, thank you for your consideration, Master Wu." Gao Chengfeng breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied.

After seeing Wu Gongyuan off, Gao Chengfeng was anxious and immediately sent someone secretly outside the city to inquire about Song Ce's whereabouts. He knew that the truth would eventually come out, and if his superior did not return soon, the truth would likely be exposed.

Just as Gao Chengfeng was pacing back and forth in the room, Chu Xiaoer rushed in from outside, looking travel-worn and with a hint of joy on his face: "Chengfeng, the master is back!"

"really?"

Gao Chengfeng was overjoyed and hurriedly went out to greet him. He saw Song Ce dressed in coarse cloth, with a hint of fatigue on his face, walking briskly from the back gate of the county government office.

"My lord, you're back!" Gao Chengfeng and Chu Xiaoer exclaimed in unison.

Upon hearing this, Song Ce nodded to the two of them and asked, "I wonder how my brother's injuries are?"

Chu Xiaoer quickly stepped forward, "The doctor said that Brother Song's bones have been dislocated for too long and have become deformed. He may not be able to walk like a normal person in the future. In addition, he has many hidden injuries and will probably need to rest for a while."

Upon hearing this, Song Ce frowned slightly. After a moment of silence, he smiled faintly and said, "You've all worked hard these past few days. Take me to see him first!"

"Yes, sir!"

At this moment, Song Jing was leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed, resting. After hearing footsteps approaching from afar, he slowly opened his eyes.

“A-Ce…”

Upon seeing Song Ce, a flicker of surprise flashed in Song Jing's eyes, which then welled up with tears. All the grievances and torment he had endured at Tu Hui Mountain over the past few days surged into his heart at that moment.

Song Ce paused, then quickly walked to the bedside. Looking at Song Jing's haggard appearance, a pang of sorrow swept through his heart. "Brother, you've suffered so much."

Song Jing hurriedly wiped away his tears with his sleeve, shook his head with red eyes and said, "It's not bitter, it's not bitter. Being able to see you again, A-Ce, is already a blessing from heaven." As he said this, he struggled to sit up, but unexpectedly aggravated the wound on his leg, making him gasp in pain.

Seeing this, Song Ce quickly pressed down on his shoulder, "Brother, you should focus on recovering. I'm here, no one will bully you anymore. As for home, everything is fine, brother, you don't need to worry."

"Okay, okay..." Song Jing nodded heavily, choked up twice, and could no longer speak.

After Song Jing fell asleep, Song Ce got up, straightened his clothes, and gestured for Gao Chengfeng and Chu Xiaoer to follow him to the study to discuss matters.

"Chengfeng, you will come with me to see Lord Wu tomorrow. Xiao Er, you are responsible for investigating the recent movements of Prince Liang."

"King Liang?"

Song Ce smiled slightly, "I left a few secret letters in Tu Hui Mountain, which should take effect in the next few days."

"Yes, sir!"

The next morning, Song Ce brought Gao Chengfeng to the back hall.

Wu Gongyuan had just finished breakfast. When Song Ce came in, he gently put down his teacup and looked him over for a moment: "Magistrate Song, your illness seems to have improved a lot. Yesterday, General Gao said that you were bedridden, but today you are so energetic. It is truly a cause for celebration!"

Song Ce smiled and said without changing his expression, "Thanks to Lord Wu, I recovered after resting for two days."

Wu Gongyuan: "...Hehe, as long as Magistrate Song is safe and sound, that's all that matters. His Majesty has issued an edict, Magistrate Song, please receive the decree!"

"yes."

"By imperial decree, by the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Song Ce, the magistrate of Shiguan County, has governed the county effectively, eliminated treacherous officials, and enabled the people to live in peace. His achievements are outstanding..." Wu Gongyuan paused, then continued, "He is hereby promoted to Prefect of Jingzhao, and bestowed with a purple robe and a golden saddle. This is the imperial decree!"

After the imperial edict was read aloud, Gao Chengfeng, standing behind Song Ce, held his breath and remained motionless for a long time. He never imagined that His Majesty's favor towards this man had reached such an enviable level.

"His Majesty's high regard for Lord Song is evident from this." Wu Gongyuan chuckled and personally helped Song Ce up. "When you return to the capital, Lord Song, you must not disappoint His Majesty's high expectations!"

"Your humble servant will keep in mind your teachings, sir."

Song Ce held the imperial edict high above his head, but he was thinking about something else: how would the King of Liang react when he saw those secret letters?

Meanwhile, Liang Wang's confidants discovered the fake secret letters in a storage tent and sent them to Xinding City overnight by fast horse.

After reading the secret letter, King Liang flew into a rage and slammed the letter to the ground: "Mobilizing 100,000 troops to encircle the Wu army? And wanting to pass through Tu Hui Mountain? It seems that this traitor surnamed Wei wants to use me as a scapegoat! Killing two birds with one stone, quite the appetite!"

Guo Xiaotian, sitting below, quickly finished reading the secret letter and carefully said, "Your Highness, please calm down. In my opinion, this letter may not be true. Perhaps someone is deliberately spreading rumors to try to disrupt the morale of our army."

"Not true?" King Liang sneered, throwing the secret letter in front of the two men, his face so gloomy it could drip water: "Then what about these two? Guo Xiaotian, Li Shizheng, tell me, what's the story behind these letters?"

Guo Xiaotian and Li Shizheng exchanged a puzzled look upon hearing this, then picked up the secret letter from the ground to examine it, only to find their faces growing paler with each reading.

Before the Prince of Liang could ask any further questions, Li Shizheng knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness, please understand! I have always been loyal to you and have never intended to defect to Dali! This... this must be a malicious fabrication by someone trying to sow discord!"

Guo Xiaotian quickly knelt down to defend himself, "Your Highness, I absolutely did not do such a thing! This secret letter is of unknown origin and full of loopholes; it is obviously a forgery!"

King Liang snorted coldly and kicked over the table. "Mysterious origins? Full of loopholes? Then tell me, is it also a lie that Wei Shaosu mobilized 100,000 troops to surround the Wu army and wanted to pass through Tu Hui Mountain? I have always thought I treated you two well, and you... you dare to secretly collude with foreign enemies?"

"Your Highness, I am innocent!" Guo Xiaotian crawled forward two steps on his knees. "I dare to swear on my life that this secret letter is definitely fake! Moreover, the news about the 100,000-strong army of Dali cannot be true either."

"Oh?" King Liang leaned back in his chair and said coldly, "What makes you say that?"

"Your Highness, think about it. The imperial city is heavily guarded. How could that rebel Wei Shaosu have so easily mobilized 100,000 troops without making a sound? This is clearly a trick of theirs, trying to throw our Liang army into disarray!"

"Mr. Guo is absolutely right!" Li Shizheng quickly echoed, "This must be a treacherous plot by the enemy to sow discord between us, so they can reap the benefits!"

King Liang was not particularly capable; he had risen to his current position entirely through a fabricated identity. He was inherently suspicious, and while he treated his advisors with courtesy, he always harbored resentment. Seeing these "letters of surrender" only exacerbated his unease. However, the time was not yet ripe to act against them. Guo Xiaotian and Li Shi had cultivated their influence within the Liang army for many years, amassing numerous followers; a hasty move could easily provoke internal strife…

Thinking of this, King Liang stared intently at the two men's expressions and took a deep breath. He suppressed his anger and said after a long while, "I will trust you this once, but remember this: if you dare to have any disloyalty, I will make sure you die without a burial place!"

"Your subordinates dare not!" The two men quickly kowtowed and solemnly pledged their loyalty.

After Guo Xiaotian and Li Shizheng left, King Liang sat in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest.

"Someone come here."

The next second, a guard walked in, bowed, and asked, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

"You, take a few trustworthy spies to Shiguan County and the capital to gather information and see if the story of the 100,000-strong army is true or false. Also... never mind, that's all for now!"

"Yes!" The guard accepted the order and left.

After the guard withdrew, King Liang looked out the window, his gaze growing increasingly grim. The thought of a large army possibly approaching his capital made him restless. Although he had initially sensed something was amiss, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Well, whether the news was true or false, a trap or not, his Xinding City absolutely could not fall!

The next morning, Wu Gongyuan's ceremonial carriages stopped at the entrance of the government office. The curtains of the first carriage were tightly closed, with only two guards standing by the carriage with swords in hand.

"Lord Wu, why are you leaving in such a hurry?" Song Ce handed the food box in his hand to the guard beside him and bowed to the carriage.

The next second, the carriage curtain was lifted, and Wu Gongyuan sat imposingly in the middle of the carriage. His gaze fell on Song Ce outside the carriage, and he said with a faint smile, "Lord Song, now that you have the purple robe bestowed by His Majesty, you are of equal rank to me. There is no need for you to bow to me anymore."

Song Ce maintained his clasped hands posture and said humbly, "You flatter me, sir."

Upon hearing this, Wu Gongyuan laughed twice and waved his hand, saying, "Lord Song, your cold is almost gone, you should hurry back! The sooner I set off, the sooner I can reach the capital and report to His Majesty."

With that, Wu Gongyuan sighed deeply, seemingly lamenting, "This capital city is both the place where the emperor rose to power and a place of great turmoil! Lord Song, you must take good care of yourself."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I will keep it in mind."

As the long procession of carriages gradually disappeared into the distance, Song Ce stood at the entrance of the government office watching them go until the procession was completely out of sight before slowly turning his gaze away. Seeing this, Gao Chengfeng stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Sir, what should we do next?"

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Author's note: I've been working overtime on experiments until late these past few days, so I wore a T-shirt while busy and changed it off quickly [crying][crying] Sorry (kneeling)